the passing of a legend. comedian and acting genius robin william's talents on and off scene cannot be overstated. the outpouring of shock and sadness over his death swept the nation. today an indepth look at one of the world's funniest men, robin williams. missouri police used tear gas and rubber bullets against protesters out in force over the shooting death of a black ten. >> plus president obama speaks out about the latest details of the iraq bombings and humanitarian air drops for thousands of people. it's tuesday, august 12th, a special edition of "early today" starts right now. good morning to you. i'm kristen welker. people across the world are mourning the loss of robin

williams. the 63-year-old has died of an apparent suicide. a forensic examination is scheduled to take place today along with a news conference later this morning. nbc's jennifer bjorkland is outside robin williams' home. what can we expect to learn? >> robin williams dead at the age of 63. his family is asking us to remember him for not of how he died, of an patient apparent suicide, but instead of how he lived his life. >> good morning, vietnam! >> always the cheery face getting big laughs. behind it all robin williams had been battling severe depression as of late. according to his publicist. he was found dead in his home near san francisco monday midday. it appears he took his own life. >> i thought he was -- i don't believe this. >> he was a really nice person and he was real friendly to

everyone and the nice thing was nobody bothered him. >> reporter: leading an ordinary life here at home as a contrast to the extraordinary world he created as an actor and comedian. coming into fame with the happy days character mork from ork which spun off to "morning and mindy in 1978. he also came into drugs and alcohol and stints in rehab. the most recent this summer. from mrs. doubtfire to dead poet society he had tremendous range although he was known for his improvisation, the trained actor also excelled in dramatic roles like good will hunting. it brought him a best supporting actor oscar. in all williams films grossed more than $5 billion worldwide at the box office. he supported the troops. he supported challenged athletes. >> he was a very big hearted, kind, generous person.

>> reporter: that's how he'll be remembered and memorialized. >> fine, fine, fine man. >> reporter: so much more than an actor. he was a person that brought joy and laugher to so many. >> reporter: pmz' wife released a statement that reads in part, "it is our hope the focus will not be on robin's death, but the countless moments of joy and laughter he gave everyone. kristen, back to you. >> jennifer, thank you for that report. zoirchlgts williams' death highlights the issue of suicide in america. according to the centers for disease control and prevention, suicide rates among middle-aged americans have risen sharply in the last decade. between 1999 and 2010, the suicide rate among americans from ages 35 to 64 grew by nearly 30%. if you or someone you know needs help, the national suicide prevention lifeline is available at any time by calling

1-800-273-talk. people everywhere have taken to social media to remember robin williams. overnight his daughter zelda tweeted a quote that said, in part, "in one of the stars i shall be living. in one of them i shall be laughing. she wrote at the bottom "i love you, i'll miss you, i'll tries to keep looking up." celebrities are sending their condolences. sally fields, who worked with williams on the film "mrs. doubtfire" said "he always lit up when he was able to make people laugh, and he made them laugh his whole lifelong, tirelessly." henry winkler worked with williams when he made an appearance as mork on the show. he tweeted robin williams is like no other. to watch him create on the spot was a privilege to behold. robin, you are an angel now. rest in peace." fellow comedian steve martin said "i could not be more stunned by the loss of robin williams, mensch, great talent,

acting partner, laugh and smile." sesame street said we mourn the loss of our friend robin williams who always made us laugh and smile." well, turning to other news now, for a second day a powder keg of emotion exploded on the streets of st. louis. in ferguson riot police clashed with protesters. it looked like an absolute war zone. crowds still angry over the shooting of michael brown. the fbi is now looking into what happened. one version? the unarmed teen had his hands in the air when cops shot him dead. another version brown died going for a cop's gun. >> i wish i could have been there to help him. anything. >> for safety reasons the name of the officer who shot brown is being kept private, but he has been put on leave. in the fight for iraq a scene of danger and despair.

that's an iraqi military helicopter delivering aid to trapped yazidis that came under fire. minutes later a heartbreaking image. scared refugees desperate to escape isis bombarded the chomer. they flung themselves in. look of relief and exhaustion. inside the battle more air strikes. u.s. fighter jets hit four isis targets on monday. the president saying there's not a timetable on when they'll end. >> our aircraft remain positioned to strike any terrorist forces around the mountains who threaten the safety of these families. >> more pressure to leaf. britain joining for the u.s. in calling for iraqi prime minister nuri al-maliki to give up power. well, back here at home detroit got whacked by some serious rain. five inches of it fell monday. flash flooding was a huge problem. trapped drivers needed to be rescued. the high water proved too much for one trucker.

nbc meteorologist bill karins is here. >> what's wrong? stay out of the water. >> yeah, exactly. >> yeah. detroit, it wasn't just your average rainn. it was insanely -- records go back to the late 1800s, and it was the second rainiest day in their history. that's a very substantial record. 4.5 inches of rain. the all time record was only 1800ths more. every single highway was closed. let's go back to the west. it was as advertised. in the oven day from boys where i to medford, portland to seattle. the temperatures were in the mid to upper 90s. believe it or not, though, not many record highs. record high today was 102 in portland. didn't quite get there. today another day of watching a lot of large fires. 37 large fires burning. specifically northern california and the pacific northwest. red flag warnings in pink are widespread today. today will be a dangerous fire day. as we do watch washington state, least there we do have rain this morning. there will be cloud cover, and

the temperatures will be much cooler today in many areas of the west. you can see on the radar there some of the wet weather moving up right where we need it. over central portions of the state. again, with more thunderstorms, we could spark more storms later today. that'syesterday. still hot conditions in areas of southern california. zoolg in the days ahead it doesn't look like we're going to be as hot. hopefully the northwest has seen their scorching heat for the summer and will be done with it. >> that is certainly welcome news. bill, thanks. we'll check back in with you later. what does president obama know about a new supreme court justice that the rest of us don't? plus, the israeli cease-fire is hold, but for how long? >> ethel kennedy leads an ice bucket challenge at the family compound.

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welcome back on this tuesday morning. the 72-hour cease-fire, officials from israel and hamas are meeting to discuss a more long-term solution. meanwhile, george clooney's fiance turned down a u.n. offer to help pro-possible war crime. she said she was simply too busy. as experts work to reconstruct saturday's deadly race track accident in new york, no criminal charges have been filed against tony stewart. that's according to the ontario county sheriff who also said kevin ward jr.'s death was caused by massive blunt force trauma. could a new supreme court justice be on the way? president obama seems to think so. while he didn't name names or outline a specific time frame, he did suggest to reporters monday that he may be able to

appoint a new judge before he leaves office in 2016. an ingredient linked to cancer could be in your toothpaste. bloomberg is reporting colgate total contains anti-bacterial chemical. colgate says it's safe, citing fda approval. a near miss is caught on video in manchester, england. check this out. two pedestrians are walking along a walkway when a car burst by slamming into a building. the driver is still in the hospital. donations to the als association have poured out over the past few weeks as the ice bucket challenge floods social media. here's how it works. people pledge monday and dump water on themselves, and they challenge a friend to do it. you've probably seen it. guess what, the kennedys took part yesterday. even grandmother ethel got in on the act. guess who she nominated for the challenge? president barack obama. hope he takes her up on that challenge. time now to get down to business. a new york judge says he will encourage settlements in the

lawsuits against general motors. there are nearly 1,000 filings against gm for defective ignition switches. the united states post office lost about $2 billion this spring. the loss comes as the agency increases volume and charges consumers more postage, but it's hit by higher salaries and benefit costs. google was investing about $300 million in an under feed cable that will cross the pacific ocean to make the internet faster for users in asia. a new at home test just approved by the fda can predict colon cancer with a 92% accuracy rate. the test is called colo-guard and is made -- taco bell is going upscale. it's opened a new joint called the u.s. taco company in huntington beach, california, which will focus on higher quality food. one item on the menu, the 1%er. it's a flat bread taco priced. expect deeper back to school discounts from a number of retailers, including staples,

wal-mart, and sears. the deals will also be extended sense 25% of parents finish shopping after the start of school. well, just ahead, drama at home plate as oriols star manny suffers a knee problem. the manning brothers are at it again mixing it up in a new rap video. all that ahead in your sports headlines coming up next. . it's inside of all of us. even gary here. [applause] berocca has guarana and caffeine to support mental sharpness. oh yeah! early morning meeting? no problem. [applause] plus, berocca has b-vitamins to support physical energy. some assembly required? awww. cherished memory. [awwwwww] i'm bringing down the house! [applause. laughs] two things. one package. beroccaaaaaaaa!

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this morning don't miss a special edition of the "today" show as matt, natalie, and the rest of the crew look back at the life and legacy of robin williams. now let's get the latest in sports from my friend betty nguyen. good morning, betty. >> good morning, kristen. let's start with a scary moment in baltimore against the yankees. orioles third baseman manny goes down after a swing at the plate. he actually twisted his knee. an examination later determined it was a sprain. he will undergo an mri today. o's took this one 11-3. it was a hot one in miami thanks to moralons john carlos stanton, or should i say gone carlo. he lit it up with two homers giving miami the 3-0 lead in the third, and he was not done yet. top of the fifth. a long hit to right. he hustled to make this incredible diving catch. man is on fire. miami goes to beat st. louis 6-5. to chicago now cubs take on

milwaukee. brewers first baseman mark reynold with a solo shot over the stands, or not. an amazing grab by a cubs fan leaning over the railing. two things here. thank goodness for the guardrail, and what a catch. per wrigley field tradition, he threw the ball back in. cubbies lose 3-1. in houston twins-astros trying to catch a runner off the bag. ball gets away. john singleton going after it. move it. they take a tumble in the dirt. they go on to beat the astros 4-2. during the tigers-pirates game the batboy actually slips jogging to the dugout. he injured his right leg and had to be helped off the field. former number one nba draft pick greg odon was formally charged with battery for allegedly punching his ex-girlfriend in the face. odon was arrested on thursday at his mother's home in lawrence, indiana, following the incident. he was released from jail later that day. the 26-year-old will appear in

court today. and the manning brothers, they are back with another epic rap video ad for direct tv. this one is entitled "fantasy football fantasy." ♪ fantasy football ♪ fantasy, fantasy football ♪ waterfall i showered the shower with tiny footballs ♪ ♪ it's the football fantasy like no other ♪ ♪ like having a best friend as your quarterback brother ♪ >> yeah, let's hope they don't quit the day job. kristen, back to you. >> let's hope so. all right. thanks, betty. when we come back, we'll have a look at some of robin williams' most memorable film roles, and later how he made a big impact for thousands with his work off the screen. stay with us. huh, fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance. everybody knows that. well, did you know words really can hurt you? what...? jesse don't go! jesse...no! i'm sorry daisy, but i'm a loner.

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real veggies, and never any by-products or fillers. wow! being a cat just got more enjoyabowl. fancy feast broths. wow served daily. well, a welcome change for some in the northwest. the high temperatures are gone. more of an onshore cooler flow. we're adding moisture in the air and cooler temperatures. that's where there's a chance of rain out there. firefighters on the frontlines have cooler temperatures. definitely helps them. seattle tomorrow, 74 for a high. compare that to feel chilly compared to the 96 you had yesterday. looks like we're back to stipulate cal seattle weather with lots of loudz and showers as we go throughout your saturday. again, let's get the fires knocked down and then we'll try to get sunshine back. >> certainly the first priority. >> now we're going to turn back to the story that so many people are talking about.

robin williams was a juilliard-trained actor. he has appeared in over 100 different television shows and movies. we've compiled a handful of some of our favorites. sit back and enjoy. >> good morning, vietnam! >> the water is boiling. >> hello. >> ah! >> ah! [ screaming ] >> greetings, fonzi. remember me? mork from ork. ♪ and square >> i found my happy spot. took me three days to find it. look what happens when i did. i win. >> you do martha graham, mart wra graham or twila, twila or michael kid, michael kid. >> medicine, law, business,

engineering. these are all necessary to sustain life, but poetry, beauty, romance, love. these are what we stay alive for. >> i'm going to miss you. >> me too, al. no matter what anybody says you will always be a prince to me. >> so tragic. so many people just in shock this morning, bill. >> seeing that makes you upset because you want to see more. you want to see what's coming next. he is so great with improv. what was next? now there's no more. >> i know. all right. he already sorely missed. i am kristen welker, and this is "early today." we hope it's just your first stop of the day on nbc. say so long to touch-ups.

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>> had he what great actors have, and great comedians have as well. he had access to himself. he could reach deep, deep, deep, deeper than most people can into himself, find something which was entirely unique, completely surprising, and yet in the end inevitable, take it out, and show it to us. that's what he was able to do. that's the definition for me of great acting. >> that was james lipton, host of "inside the actors studio" remembering robin williams last night on msnbc. the wildly successful actor and comedian also lends his talent to raise awareness of humanitarian causes. in 1986 and subsequent years williams partnered with comedians billy crystal and whoopi goldberg to co-host comic relief. it was an effort to raise money to fight homelessness.

>> yes, god made babies cute so you don't eat them. >> then i try and be the good parent. go downstairs and put on a videotape. okay. >> there's a bigger word for the day. mommy. >> so funny to watch that. dating back to 2003 he joined forces with the uso and went on frequent tours to iraq and afghanistan to perform for troops. the uso released a statement, in part, saying "he will be sorely missed." for several years williams used his star power to raise awareness for children with cancer through his work with st. jude's children's research hospital. he would often visit with children in the hospital and take part in fundraising campaigns like the ones you see here. in a statement the hospital says "his humor brought bright smiles and laughter to our patients and families and his generosity deeply touched the hearts of all who knew him." in 1992 johnny carson ended his 30-year reign as host of the

tonight show with two final guests. bette midler and you guessed it robin williams. here's williams in 1981 in his very whacky first appearance with johnny carson. >> look at this thing. look. flipper. right now there's a sound man going what are you doing? oh, god. relax, relax, relax. you're a nice man. you won't hurt me. >> no, no. >> thank you. don't be afraid. the sores went away. real men can stand up to herpes. >> bill, as you watch that, you just think how hard it is someone who brought laughter to so many people was suffering so deeply. >> and he was -- he himself, obviously, troubled and just so -- but he actually did so many other things outside with his suffering to help other people sdwloosh i know. it's just incredible. all right. we will miss him very much. i'm kristen welker.

thanks for watching

"today in the bay." well good morning everyone, it's tuesday, 4:30 i'm scott mcgrew. >> and i'm laura garcia-cannon. it's the unofficial end to summer. thousands of students are headed back to school. the early morning sky on your left, the morning sky under way on your right. today two big districts beginning class, union high school.com and san mateo union high school district. >> what's the weather going to be like, how are the roads? for both let's check in were rob mayeda and christina loren this morning. >> good morning, this is the east side union school district.